Getting ready for work may take a few minutes for some or a few hours for others. No matter how long it takes you to head out the door, there may be some days when it seems as though the clock's against you. According to a new CareerBuilder study, 26 percent of workers admit to being tardy at least once a month, and 16 percent are late once a week or more.

More than 2,600 hiring managers and more than 3,900 workers nationwide were surveyed to find out what's delaying workers from starting on time, what causes them to run late and the consequences of delayed arrivals.

"Employers understand that every now and again circumstances will arise that are out of a worker's control and unfortunately cause a late arrival to work," says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. "It escalates to a problem when the behavior becomes repetitive, causing employers to take disciplinary action. More than one-third of hiring managers reported they had to fire someone for being late."

Excuses, excuses
Hiring managers shared some of the most memorable excuses they've heard from employees who were late getting to the office. While 31 percent of workers pointed to traffic as the most common cause for tardiness, some answers were more memorable than a bad commute:

Employee dropped her purse into a coin-operated newspaper box and couldn't retrieve it without change (which was in the purse)

Employee accidentally left the apartment with his roommate's girlfriend's shoes on and had to go back to change

Employee's angry wife had frozen his truck keys in a glass of water in the freezer

Employee got a late start because she was putting a rain coat on her cement duck in her front yard (because rain was expected later that day)

Employee's car wouldn't start because the breathalyzer showed he was intoxicated

Employee attempted to cut his own hair before work and the clippers stopped working, so he had to wait until the barber shop opened to fix his hair

Employee's car was attacked by a bear (had photographic evidence)

Employee drove to her previous employer by mistake

Employee claimed to have delivered a stranger's baby on the side of the highway

Avoiding a late arrival
The key to being a punctual employee and avoiding your employer's frustration is to understand your schedule and be prepared. If you have free time in the evening, take advantage of the extra minutes and prepare your meals, clothes and bag or briefcase the night before. Likewise, if you need daylight to get moving, set the alarm for an earlier wake-up time to avoid rushing and running late. Also check how the weather may affect your commute, and leave ample time to get to the office. These small steps can get you to work on time and save you from trying to come up with a believable story.